Review: Kirby Super Star Ultra [NDS]
zoidbergmerc, 28-Sep-09 » Kirby Super Star Ultra (NDS)
A review by Peter "Zoidberg" Nowell
Kirby Super Star Ultra (SSU) is a 2D side scrolling action game that is developed by HAL Laboratory and Published by Nintendo. Originally this game was for the Super Nintendo and called "Kirby Super Star", now it's been remade for Nintendo's handheld console the DS and using the additional power of the NDS to give it better graphics, smoother gameplay and some additional features.
The Box art for Kirby SSU is very bright and really makes it pop off the shelf in the stores.
In Kirby SSU you play the main character "Kirby", a small pink, round, rubbery ball like being. You must guide Kirby though the levels avoiding environmental hazards such as pit falls, fire and precariously place spikes. Falling prey to these hazards you usually die instantly and are sent back to the last checkpoint or sometimes you'll just loose some health. In addition to these obstacles there are also some unfriendly characters about the land that you'll have to deal with, while these enemies have names like Lololo, Lalala, Waddle Dee and Waddle Doo they're still out to get you and they hurt! About 10% off your health bar for each time they attack you.
When Kirby wants to get mean he can use several different methods to engage his enemies. You can simply jump on your enemy's head to defeat him, do a dash attack which just looks like Kirby has fallen over onto his face, mildly hilarious, or you can do what Kirby is famous for! Use Kirby's mighty lungs to inhale enemies and then spit them out at high velocity to defeat more enemies or swallow them to gain their special abilities. There are lots of special abilities Kirby can gain which affect the way he moves, attacks and flys some include scoring your self a sweet red and while parasol to hit people with and help you fly around the stage, another is where you can turn into some soft of fire wisp and take out enemies as you zoom around the level in a blazing ball of fire and fury. Kirby can lose these special abilities if he takes a particularly hard hit which will require you to swallow the star you just jettisoned or another enemy to regain your ability. Kirby can also relieve him self of these abilities and by doing so you summon a friend who has the ability you just discarded which leaves you free to fly around as vanilla Kirby or find another ability which tickles your fancy.
Here we see Kirby in cutter form with a boomerang style attack.
Launching the game you're greeted by an exciting FMV of Kirby zipping around the skies on a warp star. This game is quick to show off it's improved graphics and it's new found power in the NDS console over the SNES. Once you've finished oogling at the eye candy that is the opening FMVs and you create a profile you're taken to a corkboard style menu with 6 main missions and 3 sub-games on the bottom screen while there is a small description of the highlighted mission on the top screen. At first you're only given access to the one mission called "Spring Breeze" which a lot of you will recognize as "Kirby's Dreamland" from the original gameboy. While it is similar, it's a little shorter than the original. It's got the improved graphics and you're given access to Kirby's abilities as well as being able to call a CPU controlled buddy which makes it all rather easy, but it's only the first level and it's still great fun.
After you've thwarted King Dedede in Spring Breeze you're granted access to 2 more levels, the next one is Dynablade and it's pretty much just more of the same just a little bit harder. All you really have to do in these missions is run to the end of the level while killing enemies and avoiding the environmental hazards. Then you fight a mini-boss then run some more, fight a bigger boss, run some more then fight the biggest boss. Not saying that it's a bad thing, it's fantastic fun and your thumbs will be tested.
Here yo-yo flavoured Kirby takes on the Computer Virus Boss.
The third mission called The Great Cave Offensive is a little different on the other hand. This mission requires you to solve some puzzles to obtain the treasures in the cave which Kirby has taken upon him self to explore. There are 60 treasure chests to find but you'll be hard pressed to find them all on the first run through! I spent several hours trying to find them all but only found 40. You'll need to use all Kirby's special abilities to find the treasure as well as all your wit and skill.
After you've played these three games your thumbs will probably be ready to quit so pick one of the three mini games to give your stylus a work out. While there are three games they are all essentially asking the same thing of you, tap on stuff before someone else does or before it's too late, simple, fun and surprisingly addictive as you strive to beat your previous score and before you know it, you've been playing for a few hours!
Kirby mini games! This one is my favourite, you just tap on the guys as they come up before the CPU does.
Back to the main missions, there are still 3 more to go once you've finished The Great Cave Offensive. The 4th mission "Gourmet Race" is a little different than the other styles, basically it's a race against King Dedede through a level filled with obstacles and food, food which you must collect in order to get points which help you win. You need to get to the finish line first but you also need to collect a lot of food too, because if king Dedede gets more food but still comes runner up he can win. This game style didn't really appeal to me but it still made for some tongue out, button mashing fun.
After you win your Gourmet Race you can play the mission Revenge of Meta Knight. Meta Knight and his mates are on an airship known as The Halberd and they are headed to cause some grief, this is where our main man Kirby steps in to take them down! This mission has an added twist too as there is a time limit for each level so you can't sit around and take it slowly as the time limits in place are only just enough time to finish the level. This Mission includes some pretty sweet FMVs that are worth watching and really help set the scene. Revenge of Meta Knight is given a difficultly level of 4 Stars and it rings true too, it's pretty tough but not impossible. I must confess I did use a "continue" after I ran out of lives while playing this mission but Revenge of Meta Knight is by far my favourite mission. This mission alone makes Kirby SSU worth the $66.
The final mission in Kirby SSU is Milky Way Wishes, set in Dreamland. The Sun and the Moon are having some sort of fight for some reason or another and you, Kirby, are sent off to the end of the galaxy to find some comet that'll make the sun and moon stop fighting. With a Difficulty level of 5 you'd be expecting this game to be tough but it's not really, just really, really long. You pretty much replay every level and rematch every boss in this mission as well as a few new ones. This mission also has a unique way that Kirby can use his abilities. As you collect them, they are added to a list on your bottom screen when you can call upon them at your will just by clicking on them. So there is no real punishment for losing an ability or a mate as you can just press the respective icon at any time. This makes solving puzzles easier as you always have your abilities on hand.
Vanilla Kirby takes on the Heavy Lobster in Revenge of Meta Knight, some times vanilla is just better.
Kirby SSU also makes use of the NDS wifi to make a Multi-player mode where your friend can join in on the action! So instead of the CPU player you can get a friend to play along with you, which is nice. Unfortunately your friend will also need to have a copy of Kirby SSU to join in. There is a download play option but you're limited to playing only the spring breeze mission and your friend will be forced to cuddle you as heshe has to look at your screen to see what's going on and control their player from your screen. This is all fun and well if the person you're playing with is of the opposite gender but if not it might make for an awkward gaming experience.
In conclusion I think Kirby SSU is one of the best games on NDS and it's definitely a must have for any gamer out there young or old. It's a fun, fast paced side scroller that has a smooth learning curve and has plenty of replay value. My only problem with this game is that it's on NDS which makes my thumbs hurt after a few hours of playing which go by very quickly when you're playing. If you don't have this game, get it! It's well worth the $65.95 you'll be paying at most of the popular game shops.
Power Level: OVER NINE THOUSAND!!!! (9-10)
Hours of gameplay: Around 15 hours to finish all the Missions and get bored of the Sub-Games
Not as good as: Having your GF dress up as Kirby on role play night.
Better than: Kirby's Canvas Curse (DS), Super Mario DS
Official Site: http://www.kirbykirbykirby.com
A review by Peter "Zoidberg" Nowell
Kirby Super Star Ultra (SSU) is a 2D side scrolling action game that is developed by HAL Laboratory and Published by Nintendo. Originally this game was for the Super Nintendo and called "Kirby Super Star", now it's been remade for Nintendo's handheld console the DS and using the additional power of the NDS to give it better graphics, smoother gameplay and some additional features.
The Box art for Kirby SSU is very bright and really makes it pop off the shelf in the stores.
In Kirby SSU you play the main character "Kirby", a small pink, round, rubbery ball like being. You must guide Kirby though the levels avoiding environmental hazards such as pit falls, fire and precariously place spikes. Falling prey to these hazards you usually die instantly and are sent back to the last checkpoint or sometimes you'll just loose some health. In addition to these obstacles there are also some unfriendly characters about the land that you'll have to deal with, while these enemies have names like Lololo, Lalala, Waddle Dee and Waddle Doo they're still out to get you and they hurt! About 10% off your health bar for each time they attack you.
When Kirby wants to get mean he can use several different methods to engage his enemies. You can simply jump on your enemy's head to defeat him, do a dash attack which just looks like Kirby has fallen over onto his face, mildly hilarious, or you can do what Kirby is famous for! Use Kirby's mighty lungs to inhale enemies and then spit them out at high velocity to defeat more enemies or swallow them to gain their special abilities. There are lots of special abilities Kirby can gain which affect the way he moves, attacks and flys some include scoring your self a sweet red and while parasol to hit people with and help you fly around the stage, another is where you can turn into some soft of fire wisp and take out enemies as you zoom around the level in a blazing ball of fire and fury. Kirby can lose these special abilities if he takes a particularly hard hit which will require you to swallow the star you just jettisoned or another enemy to regain your ability. Kirby can also relieve him self of these abilities and by doing so you summon a friend who has the ability you just discarded which leaves you free to fly around as vanilla Kirby or find another ability which tickles your fancy.
Here we see Kirby in cutter form with a boomerang style attack.
Launching the game you're greeted by an exciting FMV of Kirby zipping around the skies on a warp star. This game is quick to show off it's improved graphics and it's new found power in the NDS console over the SNES. Once you've finished oogling at the eye candy that is the opening FMVs and you create a profile you're taken to a corkboard style menu with 6 main missions and 3 sub-games on the bottom screen while there is a small description of the highlighted mission on the top screen. At first you're only given access to the one mission called "Spring Breeze" which a lot of you will recognize as "Kirby's Dreamland" from the original gameboy. While it is similar, it's a little shorter than the original. It's got the improved graphics and you're given access to Kirby's abilities as well as being able to call a CPU controlled buddy which makes it all rather easy, but it's only the first level and it's still great fun.
After you've thwarted King Dedede in Spring Breeze you're granted access to 2 more levels, the next one is Dynablade and it's pretty much just more of the same just a little bit harder. All you really have to do in these missions is run to the end of the level while killing enemies and avoiding the environmental hazards. Then you fight a mini-boss then run some more, fight a bigger boss, run some more then fight the biggest boss. Not saying that it's a bad thing, it's fantastic fun and your thumbs will be tested.
Here yo-yo flavoured Kirby takes on the Computer Virus Boss.
The third mission called The Great Cave Offensive is a little different on the other hand. This mission requires you to solve some puzzles to obtain the treasures in the cave which Kirby has taken upon him self to explore. There are 60 treasure chests to find but you'll be hard pressed to find them all on the first run through! I spent several hours trying to find them all but only found 40. You'll need to use all Kirby's special abilities to find the treasure as well as all your wit and skill.
After you've played these three games your thumbs will probably be ready to quit so pick one of the three mini games to give your stylus a work out. While there are three games they are all essentially asking the same thing of you, tap on stuff before someone else does or before it's too late, simple, fun and surprisingly addictive as you strive to beat your previous score and before you know it, you've been playing for a few hours!
Kirby mini games! This one is my favourite, you just tap on the guys as they come up before the CPU does.
Back to the main missions, there are still 3 more to go once you've finished The Great Cave Offensive. The 4th mission "Gourmet Race" is a little different than the other styles, basically it's a race against King Dedede through a level filled with obstacles and food, food which you must collect in order to get points which help you win. You need to get to the finish line first but you also need to collect a lot of food too, because if king Dedede gets more food but still comes runner up he can win. This game style didn't really appeal to me but it still made for some tongue out, button mashing fun.
After you win your Gourmet Race you can play the mission Revenge of Meta Knight. Meta Knight and his mates are on an airship known as The Halberd and they are headed to cause some grief, this is where our main man Kirby steps in to take them down! This mission has an added twist too as there is a time limit for each level so you can't sit around and take it slowly as the time limits in place are only just enough time to finish the level. This Mission includes some pretty sweet FMVs that are worth watching and really help set the scene. Revenge of Meta Knight is given a difficultly level of 4 Stars and it rings true too, it's pretty tough but not impossible. I must confess I did use a "continue" after I ran out of lives while playing this mission but Revenge of Meta Knight is by far my favourite mission. This mission alone makes Kirby SSU worth the $66.
The final mission in Kirby SSU is Milky Way Wishes, set in Dreamland. The Sun and the Moon are having some sort of fight for some reason or another and you, Kirby, are sent off to the end of the galaxy to find some comet that'll make the sun and moon stop fighting. With a Difficulty level of 5 you'd be expecting this game to be tough but it's not really, just really, really long. You pretty much replay every level and rematch every boss in this mission as well as a few new ones. This mission also has a unique way that Kirby can use his abilities. As you collect them, they are added to a list on your bottom screen when you can call upon them at your will just by clicking on them. So there is no real punishment for losing an ability or a mate as you can just press the respective icon at any time. This makes solving puzzles easier as you always have your abilities on hand.
Vanilla Kirby takes on the Heavy Lobster in Revenge of Meta Knight, some times vanilla is just better.
Kirby SSU also makes use of the NDS wifi to make a Multi-player mode where your friend can join in on the action! So instead of the CPU player you can get a friend to play along with you, which is nice. Unfortunately your friend will also need to have a copy of Kirby SSU to join in. There is a download play option but you're limited to playing only the spring breeze mission and your friend will be forced to cuddle you as heshe has to look at your screen to see what's going on and control their player from your screen. This is all fun and well if the person you're playing with is of the opposite gender but if not it might make for an awkward gaming experience.
In conclusion I think Kirby SSU is one of the best games on NDS and it's definitely a must have for any gamer out there young or old. It's a fun, fast paced side scroller that has a smooth learning curve and has plenty of replay value. My only problem with this game is that it's on NDS which makes my thumbs hurt after a few hours of playing which go by very quickly when you're playing. If you don't have this game, get it! It's well worth the $65.95 you'll be paying at most of the popular game shops.
Power Level: OVER NINE THOUSAND!!!! (9-10)
Hours of gameplay: Around 15 hours to finish all the Missions and get bored of the Sub-Games
Not as good as: Having your GF dress up as Kirby on role play night.
Better than: Kirby's Canvas Curse (DS), Super Mario DS
Official Site: http://www.kirbykirbykirby.com
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| Category: | Game Reviews |
| Posted: | 28-Sep-09 6:18:07 pm |
| Author: | zoidbergmerc |